Uncensored: AfD Pushes for MPs' Statements to Escape Prosecution, Despite Controversy
Far-right political party, AfD, advocates for immunity from criminal prosecution for parliamentary statements made by its members. - Far-right party AfD advocates for immunity of parliamentarians from legal punishments
The AfD party is pushing for members of the Lower Saxony state parliament to be able to make statements outside the parliament without fear of prosecution. This week, the AfD faction is introducing a draft for a constitutional amendment.
In the eyes of the AfD's interior policy spokesman Stephan Bothe, this is all about "fundamental questions of democracy and freedom of speech." He explains, "This bill is about the fact that the protection of an MP from persecution should extend to all statements made by the MP in the mutual communication process between them and the citizens."
Bothe's vision includes press work, social media appearances, personal websites, parliamentary initiatives, as well as statements at meetings, party conferences, and in constituencies. Currently, only statements "in the Landtag, in a committee or in a faction" are protected by Article 14 of the state constitution.
The SPD has sharply criticized the AfD's plans. SPD's parliamentary business manager Wiard Siebels calls it a "blank check for hate and incitement by AfD officials." He believes, "Hiding behind special rights won't work. Incitement of the people and defamation remain incitement of the people and defamation - regardless of who says it."
Two investigations are currently underway against AfD MP Vanessa Behrendt for suspected incitement of the people. The first involves her referring to the rainbow flag as a symbol of "manipulations by pedophile lobby groups" on the platform X. The second alleges that Behrendt described a group of pedophiles as criminal, although the individuals in question stated that they do not act on their inclinations. In this case, Behrendt also published the address of the man who filed the complaint, leading to accusations of dangerous dissemination of personal data.
The AfD party suggests that the investigations against Behrendt indicate that justice is politically motivated. Bothe claims that the central office against hate crime on the internet is ignoring the principles of free speech in its proceedings against MPs. Behrendt herself defends her initial statement as a "permissible expression of opinion" and accuses the central office of politically motivated proceedings.
The question remains as to whether the proposed constitutional amendment would grant Behrendt and other MPs immunity from prosecution in cases like hers. Current information suggests that no such constitutional amendment explicitly protects MPs like Behrendt from prosecution for allegations of incitement, although the AfD continues to push for this change. Whether this push will be successful remains to be seen.
In the ongoing debates regarding policy-and-legislation in EC countries, the AfD party has proposed a constitutional amendment that, if passed, could potentially grant members of the parliament, such as Vanessa Behrendt, immunity from prosecution for their statements made during vocational training activities, press work, social media appearances, personal websites, parliamentary initiatives, as well as statements at meetings, party conferences, and in constituencies. This proposal has sparked intense discussions in politics and general news, with critics arguing it could become a "blank check for hate and incitement by AfD officials," while the AfD claims it is about protecting freedom of speech and democracy. The proposed amendment comes amid investigations against Behrendt for suspected incitement of the people, which the party suggests indicates that justice may be politically motivated.
